Editing Modesty (section)

==In dress==
[[File:Orthodox pilgrim.jpg|thumb|Orthodox pilgrim in the Laure of Kyiv-Perchesk. Pilgrims have to wear modest clothes and women and girls must cover their hair when entering a church or monastery.]]
[[File:Immodest ukrainians bangladesh.jpg|thumb|Three [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] men, wearing [[Trunks (clothing)|trunks]] and [[Swim briefs|briefs]], attract attention for immodesty relative to the local norm in [[Cox's Bazar|Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh]]. ]]

Most discussion of modesty involves clothing. The criteria for acceptable modesty and [[indecent exposure|decency]] have relaxed continuously in much of the world since the nineteenth century, with [[Little black dress|shorter]], [[Form-fitting garment|form-fitting]], and more revealing clothing and swimsuits, more for women than men. Most people wear clothes that they consider not to be unacceptably immodest for their religion, culture, generation, occasion, and the people present. Some wear clothes which they consider immodest, due to [[exhibitionism]], the desire to create an [[erotic]] impact, or for publicity.

===Generally accepted Western norms===
Appropriate modesty depends on context and place. For example, in [[sex segregation|single-sex]] [[change room|public changing rooms]], nudity is often acceptable.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/britons-bad-being-naked-victoria-coren Why are Britons so bad at being naked?] Sarah Ditum, The Guardian, United Kingdom (16 January 2013)</ref>

In Western and some other societies, there are differences of opinion as to how much body exposure is acceptable in public.<ref>Salmansohn, Karen. "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-salmansohn/the_power_of_cleavage_b_70260.html The Power of Cleavage]". ''The Huffington Post'', October 29, 2007.</ref> In contemporary Western society, the extent to which a woman may expose [[Cleavage (breasts)|cleavage]] depends on social, cultural and regional context. Women's [[swimsuit]]s and [[bikini]]s commonly may reveal the tops and sides of the breasts, or they may be topless as is common on the beaches of the [[French Riviera]]. Displaying cleavage is considered permissible in many settings, and is even a sign of elegance and sophistication on many formal social occasions, but it may be considered inappropriate in settings such as workplaces, churches and schools. Showing the [[nipple]]s or [[areolae]] is almost always considered [[toplessness]] or partial [[nudity]]. However, in 2014 newly elected Pope Francis drew world-wide commentary when he encouraged mothers to breastfeed in church if their babies were hungry.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/12/pope-mothers-breastfeeding-children-sistine-chapel|title=Pope Francis encourages mothers to breastfeed - even in the Sistine Chapel|first=Lizzy|last=Davies|date=12 January 2014|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

In private homes, the standards of modesty apply selectively. For instance, nudity among close family members in the home can take place, especially in the [[bedroom]] and [[bathroom]], and wearing of only undergarments in the home is common.

In many cultures it is not acceptable to bare the buttocks in public; [[Mooning|deliberately doing so]] is sometimes intended as an insult. In public, Western standards of decency expect people to cover their [[genitalia]], and women to cover their [[breast]]s.

Since the 1980s it has become more common for young women in Western societies to wear clothing that bared the midriff, "short shorts", backless tops, sheer and other styles considered to be immodest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osisa.org/buwa/regional/fashion-feminists-how-fashion-and-dress-shape-women%E2%80%99s-identities|title=Fashion for Feminists: How fashion and dress shape women's identities|last=Sika|first=Varyanne|date=10 January 2014|work=Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA)|access-date=20 June 2014|archive-date=16 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716235213/http://www.osisa.org/buwa/regional/fashion-feminists-how-fashion-and-dress-shape-women%E2%80%99s-identities|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the United States in the early twenty-first century, public [[breastfeeding]] has become increasingly acceptable, sometimes protected by law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/health/breastfeeding-state-laws.aspx |title=Breastfeeding Laws |work=Breastfeeding State Laws |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures, United States}}</ref> President Barack Obama's [[Affordable Care Act|health care bill from 2010]] provides additional support to nursing mothers, requiring employers to provide a private and shielded space for employees to use in order to nurse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/09/breast.feeding.society/|title=Breastfeeding rooms hidden in health care law |publisher=CNN|first=Elizabeth |last=Landau|language=en|access-date=2017-02-05}}</ref>

===Gender differences===
[[File:Femmes-Amish.jpg|thumb|Modesty in dress is a relative cultural concept, even in the West, as seen above in the [[plain dress]] of [[Amish]] women on an American beach in 2007.]]
Men and women are subject to different standards of modesty in dress. While both men and women, in Western culture, are generally expected to keep their genitals covered at all times, women are also expected to keep their breasts covered. Some body parts are normally more covered by men than women—e.g., the [[midriff]] and the upper part of the back.

In 1992 New York State's highest court accepted [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] arguments and struck down the provision in New York's ''Exposure of the Person'' statute that made it illegal for women to bare their chests where men were permitted to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/I92_0160.htm|title=Santorelli & Schloss v. State of New York|date=7 July 1992|publisher=Cornell University Law School}}</ref>